Are Humans all One Race

[whiskeryron]

I eagerly await your comments.

Ron.

[old-wos-is-name]

Darwin weas correct all through the animal world, but it does seem strange that remains of large animals millions of years old are found, but there is a missing link from neanderthal man, (who has one gene less than humans) and us. Is visitation from extra terrestials out of the question? could Adam and Eve have really existed? could we just be some ones experiment?
Happy Chruistmas.

[LazyGun]

@owin - What missing link?

http://www.scientific...dertal-genome-study-r

[jno]

there's no missing link with neanderthals; they weren't homo sapiens and were more like cousins than grandfathers. All the same, the two seem to have lived side by side for a while, and even interbred, so that most of us have about 2% of neanderthal DNA.

Whether we're all one race ("the human race") or many (as the term racism implies) depends on what definition of "race" you use.

[mccfluff]

i thinke elderman might be in a race all of his own

[McMouse]

Human beings belong to various races, though we all have a common ancestor.

[LazyGun]

So, if i understand the gist of this video correctly- the guy in question, michael tellinger, is claiming that their is too much genetic diversity amongst humans for them to be classed as a single species or race? If that is what he is claiming, then i do not think anthropology or genetics or molecular biology would support such a claim.

Phenotypically we might appear quite diverse, but bottom line - we arent, and nor are our genes or our DNA. Seems a nonsense video to me.

[old-wos-is-name]

My info is from bill bryson, apparantly humans and neanderthal have different gene counts, like a donkey and a horse so if they bred the offspring would be infertile. bryson also cites the lack of any human remains being old enough to chart mankind from. all His info is from genuine sources.

[LazyGun]

I dont think the latest works and studies in genetics supports Bill Brysons contention, if thats what he actually said. Read that link I posted.

I still do not understand why you think there is a missing link between neanderthal man and modern man.Nor do I quite understand what is meant by that comment you attribute to Bill Bryson and "lack of any human remains being able to chart mankind from"? Are you sure thats what he said? Can you remember from which book? I have a few of his here on my shelves........

[old-wos-is-name]

I will dig the book out and get back.

[whiskeryron]

To go a step further is it not possible that the Nativity story is partially true in that Mary was truly a virgin (being untouched by man) but was impregnated by the holy spirit ( from a race of extraterrestrials who are (or were) vastly superior to life then on earth. This could then explain Christ's miracles which man found puzzling but make sense to a superior alien race.

Ron.

[rowanwitch]

Sometimes it feels there are two races...a male race and a female race

think differently, act differently but luckily still close enough to breed

[jno]

I doubt that alien DNA would permit you to break the laws of physics.

That said, I think it was Arthur C Clarke who observed that any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic. But technology doesn't come in your DNA.

[LazyGun]

@Rowan - Thought that was established fact - blokes are from mars, women are from venus? :)

@ wosisname - thanks for looking out the book -would be very interested in the reference.

@ Ron - you can of course speculate to your hearts content - but if you wish your hypothesis to be taken seriously, you would have to offer evidence. So, what would your evidence be? (Although I think the idea of an alien getting Mary up the duff, imbuing the resultant offsring with supernatural powers, and then - what? going home again? or are they still living amongst us? - is far more likely than the usual christmas narrative - more entertaining too :) )

[rowanwitch]

If so can we send them back...

Seriously of course years of isolation has meant humans have evolved different traits adaptations to environmental stressors...enough to make it appear there are distinct differences..... but the breeding test shows there has been less divergence than it appears...

Brothers and sisters under the skin...

[jno]

LazyuGun, I think you'll find that hypothesis has been considered at length in the studies of Siegel and Shuster.

[LazyGun]

@ Rowan - No you cant send em back - We have a song about it being a Mans world ;)

Re : stressors impacting on physiognomy - absolutely right, but as you point out, genetics says we are all one big, happy, family embracing the wonders of diversity ;)

[whiskeryron]

// I doubt that alien DNA would permit you to break the laws of physics jno.// If Earth had already been seeded by Alien intervention way,way, back then DNA probably wouldn't be a problem.

Ron.

[jno]

what I meant was that (for instance) alien DNA still wouldn't allow you to walk on water, unless you were extremely light.

[rowanwitch]

At least if its a mans world we know who to blame for all the damage

[naomi24]

I'll throw my hat in here. I wouldn't say that humans belong to different 'races', but I think the 'Gods' - all of them, including Yahweh, - were probably people from elsewhere - and that the evolution of man was speeded up with a bit of genetic engineering.

Naomi sits back and waits for the flak. :o)

Ron, Mary wasn't the first virgin to have been reputedly impregnated by a 'God'. There were many before her. (Actually, the early texts don't say she was a virgin - they simply describe her as a young woman).